Hartford, Connecticut, 1960s

In among the Hartford photos that Joe Sokola sent us were these four depicting a different angle on the Abraham Ribicoff Federal Building long before Ribicoff’s name went up on it. Located at 450 Main Street, not far from previous Hartford street scenes in this series, it’s served as a federal courthouse since 1963, though thee photos obviously date to a few years after that. Give these photos a good once over and tell us what you see here?

Stéphane Dumassays:

May 30, 2016 12:45 pm

From Russiasays:

May 30, 2016 1:01 pm

Top picture parked on the right:
1956 Ford Mainline Business Coupe
1965 Chrysler 300 4door Hardtop
1960 Chevrolet Brookwood Station Wagon
Two 1964 Pontiacs in the first intersection: first is a mid size Tempest, second looks like some a full size
On the second (far) intersection 1958 Edsel Station Wagon possible and a 1968-69 Lincoln Continental

GCRsays:

May 30, 2016 6:35 pm

GCRsays:

May 30, 2016 6:43 pm

I withdraw that remark , the 61 Cadillac had no ridgeline in the center of the hood . Plus the headlights were clustered closer together . I don’t think anyone has picked off the 62 Oldsmobile 4 door hardtop in front of the Church in the first picture yet.

CrownCoupe64says:

May 31, 2016 5:15 am

Of course I was gone on the day the Imperial showed up, but I did see this 1960 Imperial LeBaron https://flic.kr/p/uYMZc7 . It was smushed in close to other cars, so I did not get a picture of it at that time.

May 30, 2016 1:06 pm

italianironsays:

May 30, 2016 1:12 pm

Interesting how those luxury chariots compare between themself in the last photo . Also, a nice possibility to look at how big American cars were back in the Sixties: take a look at how short appear the Comet, with its 114” span, not only when we look at the Imperial , but even if we use the ’62 119” Chevy for comparison like here . Now , consider that the duo Accord/Camry, nowadays “standard” cars, have only around 110-112 inches of span and you know how bigger were things back in those hectic days.

Pat Wsays:

May 30, 2016 1:16 pm

Photo 3: bottom center, a ’55 Old’s 88/Super 88 Holiday 2-dr HT, on the street to the left, a ’62 Tempest and behind it, perhaps a ’55 Mercury? Across that street with rear door open, a ’58 or 59 Rambler Cross Country (the door would’ve revealed which year), a ’56 Lincoln HT and a ’58-64 Willy’s wagon. Waiting at the light, a ’60 Buick Vista, ’62 Impala Coupe, ’61 Rambler and what looks like a ’54 Plymouth Belvedere…if the turn signals are below the grill bar….and a ’57 ford F100 in the lot.

Photo 4: from the left: a ’57 Bel Air, ’62 Comet, ’62 Biscayne, ’60 Imperial, ’57 Cadillac (likely a Fleetwood because of the larger space between the rear window and the fin), then this side, a ’62 Cadillac 4-window Sedan DeVille and a ’61 Biscayne.

italianironsays:

May 30, 2016 2:54 pm

Hello Pat, I too was intrigued by those “1955 Mercury” and “1954” Plymouth in the third photo: the former, should its visible headlight be dual instead of single, could even be a ’59 Ambassador (but this time the resolution is not overtly good, so this is a hypothesis only, sure that heavy chromed bar just in its front center is exactly what is expected to be seen on both a ’55-’56 Merc and a’59 Amby); the latter has the typical “interrupted” side chrome moldings seen on ’53 Cranbrooks (in 1954, apparently, there was the full lenght treatment for both Belvederes and Savoys, while Plazas were totally devoid of them, just like the Cambridges of a year before), but sometimes while looking at it seems almost the front end is closer to a ’54’s versione rather than a ’53…so it remains a slight mystery.
The Rambler wagon now I’m thinking it is a ’58, using what very few of the rear door is visible, or , better, the tailgate two tone treatment.

Pat Wsays:

May 30, 2016 8:46 pm

Hi italianiron

On the possible ’55 Merc, the taller hood is what pointed me to that…and it’s, in effect, “‘bumper over a bumper” design.

The interruption of the side trim on the Plymouth in the photo bothered me…but since it’s in so much shadow, I figured it’s the flared shape of the fender, rather than any chrome trim reflection, that is catching the light from above.

I do agree that is a ’58 Rambler wagon, based on the tailgate’s two-tone division.

Pat Wsays:

May 30, 2016 3:02 pm

italianironsays:

May 30, 2016 1:22 pm

There are at least two early Tempest appearing in these pics: one is the ’63 running on the road toward us in the first photo, the other is the ’62 in the lower central section of the 3rd pic. Also visible in the first pic are that ’65 non-letter 300 (I think), and that decidedly basic 1960 Plymouth 2 dr sedan.
In the 3rd pic we can see a huge ’60 Buick Vista hardtop ready to be beaten by the ’62 Impala at the impromptu darg race, with a Rambler and a ’53 Plymouth in second row. Notice also the Willys wagon and the ’58-’59 Rambler wagon.

Scott NJsays:

May 30, 2016 2:30 pm

Pat Wsays:

May 30, 2016 2:46 pm

Photo 1: right side, a a ’60 Chevy Brookwood wagon and a ’65 Chrysler 300 4-dr HT, and behind that, not sure. It should be easy with the creases on the roof, the sloping headlight shroud and the very tapered hood opening… but nothing comes to mind. Across the street, a ’62 Old’s 4dr HT, an Econoline van, a ’63 Tempest, ’64 Pontiac and way behind, perhaps a ’56 Chevy. Heading away, another ’60 Chevy wagon (Parkwood, Kingswood, Nomad?) and a mid-60’s Continental.

Photo 2: left side, a ’69 Buick Electra (has chrome on the hood so it’s not a Lesabre, but no horizontal split in the grill, so not a Wildcat)…across the street, I’ll go with a ’73 Satellite sedan, a ’55 Old’s 88/Super 88, a ’71 (’72?) Mercury Marquis, a 68 to pre-’70-1/2 Falcon sedan, a ’70 Malibu HT and a ’74-‘76 Cutlass

italianironsays:

May 30, 2016 4:54 pm

Pat, the mystery car should be a ’60 Savoy, because it seems like it’s wearing its chrome moldings in a very restrained way.
It surely is a few-frills car but with a prominent antenna and black paint : despite the antenna’s height, it is not sure whether this car was used for “official duty” of sort or not: ’60 Plymouths had it in that exact location.

Pat Wsays:

May 31, 2016 1:44 pm

Right you are…great spotting! I could picture that ridge on the roof but I couldn’t place it. Coincidentally, the neighbors had a ’60 Dodge Dart with its strange “reverse scoop” bulges on the roof…that alone should have steered me towards its companion, the Plymouth. And the dash matches the photo perfectly with its slight drop-off ridge at the windshield base.

italianironsays:

May 30, 2016 5:23 pm

Well done with the Electra and the Satellite in the 3rd photo (those details are tricky to identify, especially the bumperettes on the Sat, a things seen on ’73 only, and the rear deck lid of a similar looking Coronet was falt, without the two vertical creases); the Marquis could even be a Brougham, in theory a ’71 since this one has apparently the taillights lenses spreading for the entire width (a ’72 has a small checkered grille in the center over the number plate location, mimicking the front grille), difficult to say if the Old Olds is an 88 or a Super (too cropped the detail to see the medallion or the numerals over the front wheel, one of the few details separating the two lines), the Cutlass is a ’73 Supreme, only year the front side marker lights were positioned below the bumper’s edge

Howard Arbituresays:

May 31, 2016 8:15 am

The White cabover that Ed w mentions looks like an early 60’s 1500 or “Compact” model that took the place of the ubiquitous ( and very successful) 50’s 3000 model. It was also very successful for city delivery. Thanks to Joe for bringing us back to the good ‘ol USA.( I apologize for ripping on the Hartford photos earlier) I like how these photos enlarge. Nothing agin our ferrin’ friends, I just can’t relate to their car photos.

dukeisdukesays:

May 31, 2016 10:19 am

Another automotive connection? It was the Ribicoff Committee in the Senate that in 1966 investigated auto safety and the auto industry. He shamed GM for hiring a private detective to follow Ralph Nader around, in an attempt to discredit Nader, or at least dig up dirt on him. Of course later (in 1971), the NHTSA exonerated the Corvair as being as safe as other small cars of its generation.